Paul Demarty
Paul Demarty is a member of the Communist Party, and a regular columnist for the Weekly Worker. His research interests include the philosophy of Louis Althusser, the critique of Hegelian variants of Marxist philosophy and the theory of culture and ideology.
Latest articles by Paul Demarty
Hiding the hack
Even though the odds are too close to call, why are US media outlets so unwilling to use leaked material about Trump’s running mate? Paul Demarty investigates
Another predator escapes justice
Class society puts people at the mercy of sadists like Mohamed al-Fayed, says Paul Demarty. However, a counter-culture of radical egalitarianism can combat the established culture of abuse
Amy Leather vanishes
What lies behind the mid-term changes at the top? The central committee limits itself to a single gnomic pronouncement. Meanwhile, Paul Demarty investigates
Fiction: utopian and scientific
We all have our ways of weighing up the probabilities, of orienting our moral sense. In his intriguing talk to Communist University 2024, Paul Demarty examines the changing face of utopian literature and the role it, and science fiction, can play in Marxist politics
Revenge on the internet
Encryption can be broken with a $5 wrench. The legal actions against Telegram and X show the fragility of free expression in the face of state power, argues Paul Demarty
End of the beginning
With the Democratic national convention safely wound up, Paul Demarty assesses the presidential race and peers into an uncertain future
After the riots
Racist violence erupted in almost every part of Britain. We need a better response than liberal hand-wringing and blinkered economism, argues Paul Demarty
Nothing to see here
Protests are erupting against overtourism, but the problem is unlikely to go away without fundamental changes to the political economy, argues Paul Demarty
A day of chaos
After a botched software upgrade, Microsoft’s Blue Friday outage shows the price of putting software and IT infrastructure under the rule of capital, argues Paul Demarty
No driver at the wheel
The incumbent is not all there; the challenger nearly dies in an assassination attempt. All the more reason to ditch the entire US presidential system, argues Paul Demarty
A Gaza election?
The low turnout and lack of enthusiasm for Labour could not prevent a Tory bloodbath on July 4. Paul Demarty examines the results, and warns of the right’s hidden strength
Denialism in the circles of hell
America has armed, financed and diplomatically supported Israel throughout the Gaza war. That makes it complicit in genocide, argues Paul Demarty. Yet, as the death toll remorselessly rises, the House of Representatives votes to deny the evidence
Bookies, mugs and pollsters
As Sunak’s campaign stumbles from bad to worse, Paul Demarty looks at the latest turn in the betting scandal and, in the absence of any differences of substance, the media obsession with the polls
Where it don’t shine … yet
Murdoch’s papers have yet to endorse Sir Keir - Paul Demarty wonders how long they can hold out from backing a winner. Meanwhile Rupert is on honeymoon and indecision rules
Sir Keir’s sinister past
Rightwing pundits have finally begun bringing up deep entryism and long-gone political affiliations to Pabloism. But Trot-baiting is unlikely to save Rishi Sunak, says Paul Demarty, he is a loser
Galloway’s motley crew
Economic nationalism and anti-war internationalism are combined together with social conservatism. Paul Demarty has a look at the Workers Party and its quirky slate of candidates
Banging the drums of war
Rishi Sunak’s dismal national service plan is certain to flop. However, Paul Demarty takes the opportunity to renew the call for a people’s militia
Regrets, they’ve had a few
Why has the SWP issued a public statement on its 2013 rape scandal? Paul Demarty looks at the record and searches for answers
Israel’s nightmare
Rewritten lyrics, canned applause and media spin could not hide the almost universal revulsion against the pending genocide in Gaza. Paul Demarty looks at the politics behind the songs
Interview with an opportunist
Sahra Wagenknecht offers no real alternative to global capital, argues Paul Demarty. But moralism is no response
Death in academia
Oxford University has finally closed down its Future of Humanity Institute. Paul Demarty explores the social limits of AI and the long-termist utilitarian ideology promoted by Nick Bostrom
A very Tory ban
With Labour support, the Tories’ smoking ban is likely to pass - but, on historical evidence, prohibition is hardly likely to work, says Paul Demarty
Selective memory syndrome
Paul Demarty admires George Galloway’s grand ambitions, but warns about a complete inability to deliver. Meanwhile, a forgetful SWP sticks to ‘strikes and streets’
Through fog of war
First casualty is the truth. Paul Demarty says Al Jazeera should be congratulated for presenting what is probably a fair and accurate account of the October 7 events
Doctoring the princess
Kate Middleton’s photo fiasco casts an unflattering light on the relationship between the crown and the press, argues Paul Demarty
How to be an extremist
Michael Gove and co seek to redefine ‘extremism’. Paul Demarty suggests that we should wear the label with pride
House of cowards
Speaker Lindsay Hoyle kept a real Gaza ceasefire off the agenda a few weeks ago in the name of keeping MPs safe. Paul Demarty stands up for the right to protest
Screaming blue murder
Lee Anderson, Liz Truss and Suella Braverman are trying to further their despicable careers in the only way they know how, writes Paul Demarty: by hate-mongering against Muslims
Navalny’s sticky end
Paul Demarty looks at the death of a persistent critic and irritant to Vladimir Putin and the FSB regime ... and a hero of the west, who showed undoubted courage in the face of cruel persecution
Tucker in Putinland
A two-hour long interview with Vladimir Putin told us little new about anything, but stands in intriguing contrast to the routine media spin, argues Paul Demarty
Monkey see, monkey do
Revolution or vapourware? Paul Demarty assesses brain-computer interfaces and Elon Musk’s hype
Full-spectrum complicity
By ‘suspending’ funding, the west’s diversionary campaign against UNRWA gives the lie to bourgeois cant about ‘genocide prevention’, argues Paul Demarty
First, they came for …
The ban on Hizb ut-Tahrir demonstrates that our rulers have no effective way to control the Gaza narrative other than by legally silencing critics, argues Paul Demarty
Grim fate awaits him
Julian Assange’s imminent extradition draws a line under the idea of the internet as an untameable new frontier, argues Paul Demarty
How crybullying works
Politics should have no ‘safe spaces’. Sob stories about ‘anti-Semitism’ on campus strike at a weak point in contemporary left politics, argues Paul Demarty
Haley’s telling blunder
Many southerners happily fly the stars and bars, but they prefer to talk of state rights, not black slavery. Paul Demarty looks at Donald Trump’s nearest Republican rival
Their Tolkien and ours
Neo-fascist interpretations of JRR Tolkien’s works are resurgent - and understandable. But can the left make room in its culture for hobbits? Paul Demarty revisits The lord of the rings
Monarchy and mystery
Omid Scobie’s book suggests that the king may be a racist. Why wouldn’t he be? asks Paul Demarty
Don’t cry for Milei, Argentina
The election of an anarcho-capitalist eccentric as president is the latest example of bourgeois politics descending into irrationality, argues Paul Demarty
Nigel’s next adventure
However he gets on in the jungle, Nigel Farage is far from done with frontline politics, writes Paul Demarty
Anti-Semitism and other lies
Accusations against the Palestinian solidarity movement of hating Jews qua Jews are obvious nonsense, says Paul Demarty. Many Jews support the Palestinian cause and are welcomed and cheered
A curse on free speech
They want to stop us marching, they want to stop us protesting. The censoriousness of government ministers exposes the limits of free expression under capitalism, argues Paul Demarty
Declaring moral bankruptcy
Our leaders cannot justify Israel’s war on the Palestinians, writes Paul Demarty, so they slander protestors and try to suppress dissent in their own ranks
Etymology of terror
Accusations of terrorism have become all but meaningless. Paul Demarty examines the strategy, tactics and hypocrisy of the T-word
Week in the hall of mirrors
Reporting of Israel’s assault on Gaza provides an object lesson in how the bourgeois media works, argues Paul Demarty
Backing a winner
Rupert Murdoch may well bring his papers in behind Sir Keir - but how great is his influence in Britain nowadays? Paul Demarty investigates
The last emperor
Rupert Murdoch is due to step down as chair of Fox and News Corp. In his place will come his lacklustre son, Lachlan. Paul Demarty finds much of interest in Michael Wolff’s latest blockbuster about the real-life version of the TV drama ‘Succession’
Sex, lies and celebrity
Sexual misconduct is inseparable from celebrity culture and the capitalist media apparatus. But, asks Paul Demarty, can Russell Brand ever get a fair trial?
Staggering to next crisis
Joe Biden’s growing incapacity, the likelihood of him being replaced mid-term by Kamala Harris if re‑elected, and a potential impeachment trial show that the abnormal is becoming the new normal. Paul Demarty looks at America
Beyond our repair
Chattel slavery’s damage is done, argues Paul Demarty, so communists should fight for a better future, not redress for past injuries
Mr Griffiths goes to Beijing
Showered with all manner of treats, the CPB’s gensec is a credulous fanboy of China’s ‘socialist modernisation’, writes Paul Demarty
New faces on the final frontier
India has joined the club of states to have landed spacecraft on the moon - a matter of geopolitics rather than scientific endeavour, suggests Paul Demarty
Gambler of Riyadh
From sportswashing to megacities: what is MBS up to? Paul Demarty investigates the grandiose Vision 2030
The truth is elsewhere
David Grusch - a whistleblower on secret government projects to recover and reverse-engineer extraterrestrial spacecraft - has testified before the House Subcommittee on National Security. Paul Demarty investigates the latest alien visitation to Washington
Venomous targeting of migrants
Despite suffering something of a setback in Spain, the far right is on the march across Europe. Prime responsibility for this, argues Paul Demarty, lies with the left
Tinseltown’s hot summer
Writers and screen actors need to win in their strike against the media giants, says Paul Demarty. But our aim must be a better, a higher culture
Elon Musk’s Twitterdämmerung
The flashy launch of Threads demonstrates the web’s tendency towards monopoly, argues Paul Demarty
Adriana and Titan
Instinct takes bourgeois journalism down tracks already laid a million times before. Paul Demarty contrasts the treatment given to two different maritime disasters
Death of a true believer
He exposed official lies, escaped the clutches of Richard Nixon’s goons and fought hard for pacifism for the rest of his life. Paul Demarty remembers Daniel Ellsberg
Death and the cabin
Paul Demarty considers the life and death of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. There are lessons for Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil and all who despair of majoritarian politics
Labour and Lubner’s millions
Starmer’s new megadonor threatens to outweigh the influence of the unions, argues Paul Demarty
Fallen Phil and Teflon Don
With the Stormy Daniels indictment, the E Jean Carroll civil verdict and the whole eight-year-old campaign of lawfare against Trump, Paul Demarty asks why it makes no difference to his political prospects. Meanwhile, here in Britain, we have Phillip Schofield
Heirs of Edmund Burke
For all its incoherence, the National Conservatism conference in London is indicative of a worrying direction of travel for the global right, argues Paul Demarty
On its last legs
Mark Zuckerberg bet the farm on virtual worlds - and lost. Paul Demarty pours one out for the metaverse
Kinesics of defiance
Open rejection of the coronation circus from Charles’s mischievous subjects are a reminder that the image of Britain as overwhelmingly pro-monarchy is a lie, hurrahs Paul Demarty
A manufactured illusion
Today’s monarchy is not a precious inheritance dating back to the Saxons. It is a product of the mass media, argues Paul Demarty
Rupert’s American debacle
The spectacular settlement with Dominion Election Systems is an index of both political dysfunction and the role of the rightwing media, argues Paul Demarty
Cheap shots, great and small
Controversy over Starmer’s attack ads shows up the increasing emptiness of bourgeois political debate, argues Paul Demarty
Dragged over the coals
Why on earth is the right going nuts over drag queens? Paul Demarty investigates the latest moral panic
Diabolus ex machina
With Elon Musk leading the way in expressing worries about AI, Paul Demarty explains what is really going on
Against educational tsarism
In the wake of Ruth Perry’s tragic suicide, Paul Demarty demands an end to Ofsted tyranny and instead an education system based on need
Victory for pundits’ union
The BBC’s brief ‘free speech’ war with Gary Lineker shows up its own institutional weakness - and the strange moral situation of football itself - argues Paul Demarty
Stupidity and score-settling
What was Matt Hancock thinking about when he handed a vast trove of WhatsApp messages over to a notoriously mercenary journalist? Paul Demarty looks over the ‘lockdown files’
Xi and John and Yoko
China’s 12-point plan has not been welcomed in Washington, Brussels or Moscow. But, asks Paul Demarty, should communists join the pacifist camp?
How not to win arguments
Counterfire is in upheaval over the trans issue. Paul Demarty calls for serious debate, not heresy-hunting
School for scoundrels
Widely pictured as a supervillain, Andrew Tate is, suggests Paul Demarty, a banal symptom of atomisation
Safe space for Zionism
The left should and will reject Rebecca Tuck’s report into ‘anti-Semitism’ - but our own errors make it hard to fight back, argues Paul Demarty
Look in the mirror
They continue to denounce sexism in state institutions without confronting their own history. Paul Demarty calls for some self-criticism
Going spare
With the British establishment suffering a collective conniption, Paul Demarty says we republicans owe a small debt to the Californian prince
The sins of the father
He presided over the destruction of liberation theology, backed the US rollback of communism and provided ideological cover for contra death squads. Paul Demarty examines the legacy of Benedict XVI
G-man behind the curtain
Scandal or nothingburger? Paul Demarty assesses the ‘Twitter files’ and the continued travails of Elon Musk
Diminished responsibility
The high-profile cases of Lady Susan Hussey and Kanye ‘Ye’ West highlight the limits of official anti-racism, argues Paul Demarty
Armbands and alienation
With the competition now well under way, Paul Demarty examines the clash between soft-focus liberalism and Qatari feudal values
A tournament to remember
Corruption, brutal exploitation, hypocrisy: Qatar 2022 has it all. Paul Demarty looks at the price of football
Twitter year zero
What the hell is Elon Musk up to? Paul Demarty reads the tea leaves and spills the beans
Buyer’s remorse
Meta’s stock market beating and Musk’s acquisition of Twitter paint a grim picture of the state of social media, argues Paul Demarty
Rishi’s one real god
What is this mysterious thing called ‘the market’ that proposes and disposes of prime minsters? Paul Demarty looks at what controls the controllers
Art attack
Young activists from Just Stop Oil have been castigated by the usual parade of ranting tabloid hacks and LBC anchors for defacing a Van Gogh. But, argues Paul Demarty, the stunt highlights the limits of direct-action groups
On borrowed time
Liz Truss’s early downfall seems likely - but offloading her will not resolve the contradictions of the Tory Party, argues Paul Demarty
For whom the bell tolls
The mini-budget fiasco and the humiliation of Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng holds sobering lessons for the national socialist left, argues Paul Demarty
Original takester
It has been a strange journey from the Revolutionary Opposition to defence of the nation state and traditional values. Paul Demarty delves into Frank Furedi’s cheery new Substack
On to the red republic
The funeral of Elizabeth Windsor released a torrent of treacle. Paul Demarty welcomes the growing republicanism of young people, but, it is clear, we still have a mountain to climb
Behind the death mask
Paul Demarty goes in search of Elizabeth Windsor’s personality and finds very little apart from cynicism, unpleasantness and self-entitlement
Misremembering Gorbachev
The death of the USSR’s final leader comes at the crisis point of the post-cold war period. Paul Demarty considers Gorbachev’s grim legacy
After the summer of discontent
The strike wave is set to grow in numbers, militancy and coordination. Paul Demarty warns that Liz Truss could respond by imposing wartime measures
Gift that keeps on giving
The Tories can neither abandon Brexit nor make it work. That means we can only expect more chaos, argues Paul Demarty
One foot in the grave
RMT’s withdrawal from Tusc was understandable, especially given the consistently dismal electoral performance. But, argues, Paul Demarty, this leaves SPEW, the mothership, in profound crisis too
That’s entertainment!
Boris Johnson’s persona is part Psmith, part Flashman and part Tim Nice-But-Dim. Paul Demarty traces the rise and fall of the ‘Red Tory’
Going, going, gone
Britain will soon have a new Tory prime minister, writes Paul Demarty. Meanwhile, Sir Keir is copying Sir Tony and his triangulation strategy, while the left is whispering about yet another broad party
Mick Lynch meets the media
We cannot rely on the ‘balance, fairness and objectivity’ of the enemy’s press and television - we need our own full-spectrum alternative, argues Paul Demarty
Le Pen surges forward
The danger is that the left will use anti-fascism as an excuse to cut a deal with the liberal centre. To put it mildly, that would be a profound mistake, warns Paul Demarty
Same colour, same aim
Boris Johnson narrowly survived, but he is far from secure. However, the left needs to go beyond chanting ‘Tories out’, because today that implicitly means ‘Sir Keir and Blue Labour in’, says Paul Demarty
Tony, the futurologist
The repeatedly delayed Future of Britain event is no threat to Sir Keir, but its ‘big ideas’ are utterly inadequate in the face of the problems they purport to address, writes Paul Demarty
Talking loud, saying nothing
Paul Demarty checks in on the congress of the Socialist Party in England and Wales - a decision-making body apparently without decisions to make
Single-issue failure
Clearing out Azovstal is a rare piece of good news for the Russian government, writes Paul Demarty, in what is a grim strategic picture
Two souls of big money
Todd Boehly’s consortium and the deal to buy Chelsea FC for £4.25 billion reveals the menace threatening the beautiful game, argues Paul Demarty
Moral panic and blue checks
Elon Musk’s proposed $44 billion Twitter takeover should not be compared with the last days of the Weimar Republic. Nor will it strike a blow for free speech, writes Paul Demarty
Unintended consequences
The calumnies against Shaima Dallali highlight the left’s errors. Paul Demarty calls for a principled defence of free speech
Hold the line
The left in France should not be panicked into voting for Emmanuel Macron, writes Paul Demarty
Rise and fall of a creep
The fiasco over his wife’s non-dom status and now a fixed-penalty notice have sunk Rishi Sunak’s prime ministerial ambitions. Paul Demarty is amused
Alex’s greater friend
The SWP is clearly motivated by opportunist considerations, not least the fall-out from the Martin Smith rape scandal. We do not owe politeness to renegades, argues Paul Demarty
Peace-loving liberals for war
The rhetoric of the anti-war movement has been coopted by the war party in the west, argues Paul Demarty
A tale of two wars
As the western powers furiously denounce Russian aggression, they continue to aid and abet the Saudi war in Yemen, writes Paul Demarty
Triumphalism to pessimism
Does the Russia-Ukraine war epitomise a crisis of liberalism brought about by attacks from the populist right and the so-called anti-scientific left? Perhaps so - but not in the way Francis Fukuyama imagines, suggests Paul Demarty
Away with comforting delusions
‘Official communism’ is bitterly divided over the Ukraine war. Paul Demarty traces the battle lines back to their origins
A lesson in courage
Anti-war protests in Russia give a glimmer of hope in a perilous situation, argues Paul Demarty
Blindness to empire
As Russia invades Ukraine Britain’s social-imperialists rally to side of Nato. But for socialists the main enemy is at home, argues Paul Demarty
Downfall of a company woman
Cressida Dick’s departure will not lead to meaningful reform. Paul Demarty insists that the police force needs to be replaced by a well-drilled popular militia
Abstraction and obfuscation
Paul Demarty reviews 'Anti-Postone', an essay written by Michael Sommer and translated by Maciej Zurowski (Cosmonaut Press, 2021, pp124, £11.99)
Plucky little Kiev
Self-determination is not an absolute principle. We in the western left must train our main fire on our own warmongers, argues Paul Demarty
On the brink of war?
The US drive to subordinate Russia, not Putin’s imperial ambitions, are the main explanation for any further conflict, argues Paul Demarty
An uncertain situation
Discounting the danger of Islamic reaction is more than stupid. Paul Demarty looks at the Kazakh uprising and the CSTO intervention
Three cheers for juries
With attorney general Suella Braverman threatening to use extraordinary measures and a deafening silence coming from Labour’s front bench, Paul Demarty unhesitatingly welcomes the acquittal of the Colston Four
Epstein saga continues
With Andrew Windsor embroiled in the scandal, with Ghislaine Maxwell facing years in jail, with the possibility of top names being named, Paul Demarty searches for the roots of bourgeois depravity
The future that ended
Three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the causes and consequences still elude most of the left, writes Paul Demarty
Our gun rights too
Despite Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal, Paul Demarty raises three cheers for the US constitution's second amendment
Deserting the fight
Plans to close Labour Against the Witchhunt and form yet another amorphous broad-left outfit are not only, by definition, unprincipled: they are bound to fail, writes Paul Demarty
History and hagiography
Saints and sinners. Paul Demarty assesses the Greta Thunberg phenomenon
Long march of censorship
Paul Demarty looks at recent attacks on free speech in the name of combatting offence, real or imagined
Failing the Lenin test
A spooked leadership is attempting to silence its left critics, especially the rebel youth wing. The use of cadre names, defence of Stalin, advocacy of a popular militia and any public dissent have been outlawed. Paul Demarty reports on what could end up as a messy split
Prince over the water
The takeover of Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia’s MBS highlights the contradictory position of fans in modern football, says Paul Demarty
A disaster foretold
HGV drivers, petrol, empty supermarket shelves - Britain’s dependence on global supply chains has been badly exposed. Paul Demarty investigates
Cargo-cult Blairism
Here we are supposed to have the intellectual background. What is revealed is a sad lack of intellectual background. Paul Demarty reviews Keir Starmer's 'The road ahead' (Fabian Ideas, 2021, pp32, £5.95)
Those who look into the abyss
Words can have all manner of meanings. Paul Demarty takes issue with Amanda MacLean on trans rights
Dealing with anti-vaxxers
Invading BBC, ITN and Google. Paul Demarty examines vaccine madness and the limits of coercive action
The great game and geopolitics
For all Xi’s rhetoric, the power struggle between the Communist Party of China and the country’s billionaires is far from decided, writes Paul Demarty
Manufacturing consensus
We do not want to unite the whole of the anti-racist movement, if that means uniting all prepared to mouth anti-racist platitudes. In fact, writes Paul Demarty, so far as such ‘unity’ exists, our role is to destroy it
For your eyes only
Paul Demarty assesses the dangers of Apple’s new surveillance measures against child sex abuse
The perfect spy
NSO is hugely profitable and closely bound up with the Israeli state and its diplomatic interests. But there is far more to spyware than obtaining information on criminals, terrorists and political opponents. Paul Demarty explains
In spite of everything
Left illusions in cheap populist rhetoric risk splitting the vote and handing victory to the right. Paul Demarty argues in favour of a clear-sighted and long-term strategy
What did England expect?
Following narrow defeat at the hands of Italy, the meaning of it all is being hotly fought over. Paul Demarty urges the left to think beyond gesture politics
A strange amalgam
In light of George Galloway’s strong showing in Batley and Spen, Paul Demarty asks if his new organisation has any kind of serious future
George’s modest flutter
The return of the British left’s most eccentric celebrity has provided an interesting twist - but can he succeed? Paul Demarty looks at the Batley and Spen by-election
Dim end of the wedge
The buffoonery of GB News’s first weeks should not be confused with failure, warns Paul Demarty
Lots of grassy knees
Is the English football team in the grip of a Marxist conspiracy? Paul Demarty considers the ‘taking the knee’ controversy
Finishing what Blair started?
The project of delabourising Labour has had a new lease of life, argues Paul Demarty
Flying saucers over Washington
UFOs are back in the news again. Paul Demarty explores the cold war background and its exotic leftwing offshoots and variants
Diana and the demagogues
Why the furore over an ancient interview? Paul Demarty looks at the renewed attacks on the BBC
Wages of tailism
Unlike others on the left, the SWP at least tries to draw lessons from the failure of Spain’s Podemos. The problem is, Paul Demarty explains, the lessons it draws are hopelessly wrong
Sorry results of tailism
Narrow nationalism of all varieties distorts, twists and inverts class politics. Paul Demarty provides a preliminary post-mortem on the May 6 results
Rent-seeking as mass murder
The row over vaccine patent waivers reveals the inhuman logic of intellectual property, argues Paul Demarty
That was the league that wasn’t
Defeat of the European Super League project is welcome, but redeeming football will take imagination, suggests Paul Demarty
Death by numbers
Instead of treating the monarchy merely as a quaint feudal relic, the left needs a much sharper critique, argues Paul Demarty
Grief at gunpoint
The coverage of Philip Windsor’s death has reached new heights of absurdity, even for British royals, argues Paul Demarty
How to be gaslit
Anger is an insufficient response to the Sewell report, argues Paul Demarty. The left needs its own critique of liberal anti-racism
Anti-racism as a straitjacket
Boris Johnson's government boasts of its anti-racism, the UN boasts of its anti-racism, the SWP boasts of its anti-racism. Paul Demarty detects more than a whiff of popular frontism
Separation showdown looms
With Nicola Sturgeon in the clear, a battle between Holyrood and Westminster over Scottish independence is very much on the cards, argues Paul Demarty
King and queen of America
The royal family’s falling out illustrates the inherent authoritarianism of all bourgeois politics - monarchical or liberal, argues Paul Demarty
The afterlife of Bobby Sands
Glowing leftwing tributes to the hunger-striker contrast markedly to the prevailing attitude 40 years ago. Paul Demarty looks at the modern-day paradoxes
Unionist wishful thinking
The Salmond-Sturgeon rift has given hope to anti-independence forces, writes Paul Demarty. But the national question is not so easily dealt with
No escape from Earth
Dreams of Martian colonies cannot substitute for revolutionary change on this planet, argues Paul Demarty
Live at the witch trials
Starmer’s ‘advisory board’ is part of a wider push to eliminate all opposition to Israel, says Paul Demarty
Fishy business in Holyrood
With the Holyrood inquiry being branded a whitewash, Paul Demarty asks what really lies behind the Sturgeon-Salmond feud
Poor man’s pivot
The government’s decision to join an Asia-Pacific free trade area is not likely to provide much shelter from economic headwinds, argues Paul Demarty
Light and air
Paul Demarty insists that unrestricted free speech is central to the communist project
No dodging self-determination
Whoever is chosen as leader, the Scottish Labour Party is cruising for a bruising, reckons Paul Demarty
End of internet anarchy
Fallout from the Capitol invasion shows that pacification of social media is well underway, says Paul Demarty
End of the beginning
The Brexit trade deal settles little - the EU will haunt British politics for years to come, writes Paul Demarty
Europe after Brexit
As the British and European powers continue haggling, Paul Demarty assesses the state of the EU
Getting out of the culture wars
The court decision against the Tavistock clinic has reignited the battle over trans rights. Paul Demarty looks at the confusion
Understanding lockdown resistance
As Boris Johnson licks his wounds, Paul Demarty examines the mounting discontent with the handling of the pandemic
Showdown looms
A crisis over independence is on the horizon - and things could quickly get ugly, writes Paul Demarty
Quinlan or Vargas?
As a judicial inquiry commences into the surveillance of activist groups, Paul Demarty explains why the workers’ movement must fight to replace the police with a popular militia
Pyrrhic victory over populism
However clownish Donald Trump is in defeat, a far-right resurgence is on the cards, reckons Paul Demarty
Myths of unity and disunity
The EHRC report demonstrates the bankruptcy of the official Labour left’s appeasement of the right, argues Paul Demarty
No end in sight
Will a Biden victory break the far-right wave? Paul Demarty thinks the Covid-19 economic downturn will fuel irrationality
Eyes on exits
Paul Demarty examines the rising support for independence, and the tasks of the internationalist left
World looks on
Uncertainty about the American presidency makes for anxious times in every other country. Paul Demarty sees conflicts, breakdown and wars ahead
Break the cycle
It is understandable that many on the left will cast a vote for Joe Biden - but it is time for a decisive break with lesser-evilism, argues Paul Demarty
Vengeance and global order
The fates of two journalists have an ominous significance for the rest of us, argues Paul Demarty
A very unlikely story
Can anyone really believe that the US government is run by Satanist paedophiles? Paul Demarty investigates the QAnon phenomenon
Racism and jealous gods
Overweening taboos on certain slurs do nothing to aid our understanding of racism, argues Paul Demarty
Rapprochement in reverse
There is more to US-China tensions than Trump’s xenophobia, argues Paul Demarty
Woman bites dog
What was that about ‘western values’? Paul Demarty looks at the Shamima Begum case
Trouble at Fort Hood
As battles rage over Confederate symbols in the US military, Paul Demarty asks what the left has to learn
Double or quits
Donald Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech sets a belligerent tone for the rest of the presidential campaign, writes Paul Demarty
New bloodbath looms
We still do not know if or when it will happen, but the annexation of parts of the West Bank is not a contingent outcome, but the logical conclusion of Zionist colonialism, argues Paul Demarty
Garbage in, garbage out
Failure of the NHS tracing app is characteristic of the government’s pandemic response, argues Paul Demarty
The show must go on
As things restart in England, a new stage in the game’s financialisation is about to begin, argues Paul Demarty
An international explosion
Protests against police violence and structural disadvantage have erupted in country after country, but what happens next, asks Paul Demarty
Too smug to fail
The survival of Dominic Cummings is typical of the elite’s insulation from the pandemic, argues Paul Demarty
Rise of the Covidiots
How can pandemic-sceptics deny the reality in front of their eyes? Paul Demarty investigates
Their fables and ours
World War II is a breeding ground for comforting myths, argues Paul Demarty - for both the bourgeoisie and the left
Where is the strategy?
Support for a ‘global ceasefire’ is acceptable, argues Paul Demarty, but not if it obscures the causes of war
Shielding the powerful
Heavy-handed legal threats against Labour show up the real effects of data protection legislation, argues Paul Demarty
Defend Steve Hedley
RMT should immediately rescind the suspension of its assistant general secretary, argues Paul Demarty
Who will pay the price?
As a result of Covid-19, class divisions will become ever clearer, writes Paul Demarty
The ‘Blitz spirit’
Are we ‘all in it together’? Paul Demarty investigates
End of the line
Covid-19 has done away with Britain’s rail franchising system. Paul Demarty, for one, is not going to miss it.
Responding to catastrophe
Paul Demarty looks at the strengths, and limits, of the left’s response to the coronavirus.
Lessons being learned
Elements of the US left have at last awoken to the possibilities opened up by Bernie Sanders, writes Paul Demarty.
Still in denial
It is all very well for the SWP to condemn Weinstein, writes Paul Demarty, but what about the legacy of its own rape scandal?
‘Socialist’ frontrunner causes panic
America’s ‘ideologically pure’ presidential candidate actually fights back against the anti-Semitism smears, Paul Demarty reports.
Crisis at the top
Paul Demarty asks what the expulsion of Manchester City from Europe means for a sport married to mega money.
George’s marvellous medicine
The pro-Brexit Workers Party is a strange amalgam. But asks Paul Demarty, can it make an impact?
The Huawei panic and US decline
A dispute over the building of the UK’s 5G network exposes the ambiguous role of military competition in capitalist progress, argues Paul Demarty.
The new ‘party of order’
Paul Demarty asks what the Wuhan outbreak has to teach us about the political moment.
Curing the country of Prevent
The list of ‘extremist’ organisations subject to intervention under the Prevent strategy is laughable - but the consequences could be grave, warns Paul Demarty.
Preparing the ground for repression
Further scares about anti-Semitism are signs of the times, reckons Paul Demarty
State of the union
Paul Demarty anticipates a showdown over holding a second referendum and an independence bid.
Breeding ground for terrorists
The Tories’ populist response to the London Bridge attack is no surprise. But the relationship between the prison system and Islamist terrorism seems to be symbiotic, argues Paul Demarty.
What the critics are missing
Paul Demarty looks at the fallout from Roger Hallam’s invocation of the holocaust.
Cancel the monarchy
Andrew Windsor’s bizarre Newsnight interview should strengthen our resolve to fight for a democratic republic, argues Paul Demarty.
Not the end of history
With the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall bourgeois triumphalism feels more brittle than ever, says Paul Demarty.
Cure worse than the disease
The left should have no truck with clampdowns on the ‘abuse’ of politicians, argues Paul Demarty.
Another avoidable tragedy
Sickening scenes in Essex show the need for a working class response to the migration question, argues Paul Demarty.
Nationalist dead end
Paul Demarty examines the complex politics involved in the Catalan independence dispute.
Avoiding extinction for real
As the Met clamps down on Extinction Rebellion protests, Paul Demarty looks at the choices facing the movement
Where is Boris going?
America is changing, so Britain’s relationship with America must change, Paul Demarty investigates.
Being ruder than Boris
The left should have no time for establishment MPs and their worries about extreme language, argues Paul Demarty.
The party organ of the state
Paul Demarty comments on the retirement of John Humphrys from BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
No pacts, no coalitions
The willingness of the Labour leadership to bloc with Liberal Democrats, Scottish nationalists and Tory rebels is a mistake, argues Paul Demarty. It could easily presage a government of national unity.
Outmanoeuvred by Johnson
The left’s response to the prorogation of parliament betrays a shallow view of democracy, argues Paul Demarty.
We need a game plan
Protest politics always reach their limits and eventually fizzle out, argues Paul Demarty.
Island illusions
The political crisis in Hong Kong needs to be seen in the context of global politics, argues Paul Demarty.
Taaffe expels his majority
Paul Demarty reports on the finalisation of the split in the Committee for a Workers’ International.
Taaffe counts his shekels
The two sides in the CWI dispute are engaged in a tawdry wrangling over cash, writes Paul Demarty
Squandering the Legacy
SPEW is severing its ties with the PCS leadership - because of its political errors, argues Paul Demarty
Drop the dead donkey
Peter Taaffe’s determination to split his would-be international is yet more proof of his unfitness for leadership, argues Paul Demarty
Fetishising the web
The left needs a comprehensive, partyist approach to media, argues Paul Demarty
What will be left?
The split in the Committee for a Workers’ International ought to put paid to its delusions of grandeur, writes Paul Demarty
Fiasco nears conclusion
Peter Taaffe’s split-mongering shows that loyalty to him is the yardstick of orthodoxy in his ‘international’, argues Paul Demarty
The prosecutor’s fallacy
Boris Johnson is surely guilty of lying - but dishonesty in politics cannot be dealt with by the courts, argues Paul Demarty
Silent treatment
The failure of some left groups to back the Labour Party is the fruit of deep-rooted problems in method, argues Paul Demarty
BDS on the march and under fire
The witch hunt against those who campaign against Israeli settler-colonialism is unlikely to end any time soon, observes Paul Demarty
Making plans for Nigel
While the Brexit Party surges in the polls, too much of the left lines up with one or another faction of the bourgeoisie, says Paul Demarty
Lying about the elections
The Tories suffered a historic drubbing in the local elections, writes Paul Demarty. So how come Labour’s performance was portrayed as equally bad?
Anti-racism and ‘useful idiots’
The SWP remains trapped in its old bad habits - and never have they been more obviously counterproductive, reckons Paul Demarty
Taaffe demands a split
Further leaks from the CWI point to a parting of ways, writes Paul Demarty
No to extradition
Julian Assange’s arrest shows he is lined up for the same fate as Chelsea Manning, argues Paul Demarty
Whatever happened to the Lexit lads?
Life has driven the left advocates of Brexit into ever greater confusion, argues Paul Demarty
Taaffe goes for the throat
It is increasingly obvious that the crisis in the CWI is a lamentable attempt to force a split. Paul Demarty wonders who will fall for it, and whether the ‘tradition of the Militant’ is strong enough to survive
The government is missing
As the clock ticks down, nobody is meaningfully in charge, writes Paul Demarty
Bercow’s coup settles nothing
As the chaos continues, Paul Demarty considers the state of British ‘democracy’
Under pressure at home and abroad
Will Donald Trump survive his current difficulties? Only a fool would rule it out, argues Paul Demarty
A classic case of CIA subversion
Why is Juan Guaidó still at liberty? Paul Demarty diagnoses the lack of revolutionary backbone
From Bethnal Green to Baghuz
Sajid Javid has stripped Shamima Begum of her British citizenship - but there is a steadfast refusal to understand why she left in the first place, writes Paul Demarty
The spectre of socialism
Paul Demarty casts a critical eye over the rise of self-styled socialists in the Democratic Party
Next on Trump’s list
Events in Venezuela amount to an imperialist coup attempt - but the left still draws no lessons from the failures of the ‘Bolivarian revolution’. Paul Demarty investigates
Brexit in the balance
The Commons vote does not change the bigger picture, notes Paul Demarty
National government real danger
With Theresa May paralysed, neoliberal MPs are preparing to ‘take back control’. Paul Demarty looks at Britain’s unfolding constitutional crisis
May's deal is dead as a dodo
Paul Demarty asks what comes next after the crushing rejection of May’s Brexit deal by the Commons
Trump’s game of chicken
The president’s showdown with Congress has a ruthless logic, argues Paul Demarty
Limping towards the cliff-edge
The government holds together for now - but the problems of Brexit will prove inescapable, reckons Paul Demarty
May survives ... for the moment
She might have won a vote of confidence, but the UK faces a full-blown constitutional crisis, reckons Paul Demarty
Immigration: ignoring the problem
Fighting for open borders means facing up to the reality of mass migration, argues Paul Demarty
May's numbers don't add up
Escape from a no-confidence vote in the Tory Party will not save Theresa May’s Brexit plans, writes Paul Demarty - hence the renewed talk of a national government
Rewriting the constitution
As Trump gears up for 2020, Paul Demarty asks why America needs a president at all
Trump can still win in 2020
The midterm results will increase the tension in Washington, says Paul Demarty, presenting the left with dangers and opportunities
American midterms are an index of political crisis
And the left must ensure its candidates are accountable, writes Paul Demarty
Huddersfield and the causes of crime
There is more at stake than criminal justice in the latest grooming scandal, argues Paul Demarty
Brexit: more humiliation looms
The present terms of debate on Brexit represent paralysis, argues Paul Demarty - in the government, and on the left
With the grain of the times
Yet more scandals - but Trump stands firm. Paul Demarty urges a more radical reckoning with American politics
Still no way out
Paul Demarty watches the fur fly at the Birmingham conference
The poverty of left-remainers
Another humiliation for Theresa May; another ambiguous policy from Labour. But, says Paul Demarty, taking £70,000 from George Soros is the left’s very own road to disaster
Grovelling will not save you
No olive branch is big enough for the Labour right Paul Demarty wonders why the leadership keeps offering them
Boris rolls the dice
Boris Johnson’s burqa article is not a gaffe, but a political gamble, argues Paul Demarty
Imprisoned within the national
Comparisons with Donald Trump are dishonest - but that does not mean Corbyn’s industrial strategy will actually work, warns Paul Demarty
Telling lies about lies
Despite its claims, the Commons select committee is undermining democracy, writes Paul Demarty
Europe and the Trump Doctrine
If Donald Trump is such a disastrous president, why is America not suffering, wonders Paul Demarty?
The degaying of Pride
This year’s Pride parade was embroiled in controversy - a minor miracle, reckons Paul Demarty
No future for London
The third runway is not inevitable. It must be stopped, argues Paul Demarty
The bad old days
Are we going back to the 1930s? Tony Blair says this scenario “no longer seems far fetched”. But will Donald Trump save us? Paul Demarty thinks not
Gifts for the NHS
Theresa May’s narrow victory in the Commons is hardly a vote of confidence in her government, reckons Paul Demarty
The rag without qualities
Paul Demarty bids farewell to the most hated man on Fleet Street
Things to do when you’re dead
It is not only the Russian government which is putting around fake news, notes Paul Demarty
For your protection
The EU’s data protection law bodes ill for the internet’s anarchic side, argues Paul Demarty
Who remembers Marx?
Paul Demarty marks 200 years since the birth of the founder of scientific socialism
No way back to normality
The Stormy Daniels affair is more threatening to Trump than it might appear, writes Paul Demarty
That’s what they want
Who’s afraid of conspiracy theorists? Not Paul Demarty for one
In enemy hands
The barrage of lies about Labour’s anti-Semitism ‘problem’ shows we badly need an alternative labour movement media, argues Paul Demarty
Facebook crisis in context
Is the Cambridge Analytica scandal really all it is cracked up to be? Paul Demarty takes a closer look
Russian weapons
There is great fury about the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal - but Paul Demarty detects crocodile tears
Dacre and the ‘posh tankies’
Why is the Mail so shocked to discover aristocratic Marxists? Paul Demarty investigates
Negotiating with guns
Donald Trump’s tariffs are about politics, not economic renaissance, argues Paul Demarty
Charities and purity politics
As the Oxfam affair unfolds, Paul Demarty asks why the wave of sexual harassment scandals has given more ammunition to the right than the left
Further into farce
How much longer can Ukip limp on, wonders Paul Demarty?
Misrepresenting the people
Paul Demarty wonders what is left out of the centenary celebrations for the Representation of the People Act
Earthquakes and H-bombs
Paul Demarty reports on the heightening drama of US politics
All the president’s men
As the sexual harassment scandal continues to claim victims, Paul Demarty wonders how it will be brought back under control
Chuck Schumer’s long lunch
It is the paralysis of rightwing Democrats which the three-day government shutdown exposes, not the White House, argues Paul Demarty
Foundations in sand
Is poststructuralism purely a reaction to Stalinism? Paul Demarty responds to Rex Dunn
Fire in the hole
Paul Demarty reviews Michael Wolff Fire and fury: inside the Trump White House (Little, Brown 2018) pp336, £14.99
Back from the cliff edge
The last-minute deal between British and European negotiators has averted disaster for now - but settles very little, argues Paul Demarty
Negotiations end in chaos
Even if Theresa May manages to strong-arm Brexit negotiations to their next phase, there is a long way to go. Paul Demarty asks if she has the staying power
Protecting the northern flank
The right’s grip on the Scottish Labour Party is starting to slip, writes Paul Demarty. But there is a long way to go
May on the brink
As the resignations and scandals pile up, Paul Demarty wonders how long this dysfunctional government can last
Shutting out reality
The SWP has been dragged into the sexual harassment scandal. Paul Demarty revisits the case
Enough wishful thinking
The left must do better than acting as Puigdemont’s PR department, argues Paul Demarty
The negative-sum internet
Paul Demarty reviews: Angela Nagle, Kill all normies: the online culture wars from Tumblr and 4chan to the alt-right and Trump, Zero Books, 2017, pp120, £9.99
Six degrees of Harvey Weinstein
What does the downfall of one of the film industry’s most powerful men tell us? Paul Demarty investigates
Hanging on by a thread
While Theresa May has just about survived the Conservative Party conference, worse challenges lie ahead, reckons Paul Demarty
Dangerous games
There is a perverse rationality to the Spanish repression of the Catalan independence campaign, writes Paul Demarty
California über alles
Uber’s troubles in London are indicative of the brittleness of the Silicon Valley tech elite, argues Paul Demarty
Boris’s cunning plan
Foreign secretary will never be good enough for Boris Johnson, reckons Paul Demarty - but the top job is hardly guaranteed
Computer says no
Paul Demarty asks why we insist on treating our computers like gods
Our lady of the tabloids
Twenty years on, Britain is still not over the death of Diana Spencer. Paul Demarty investigates the cult of the ‘people’s princess’
Lord of chaos
Donald Trump’s reign is turning into a fiasco, writes Paul Demarty, who is concerned about his plans to regain the initiative
Get used to it
Attempts to insulate MPs from insults are laughable and doomed to failure, argues Paul Demarty
Enough Blairite bleating
Paul Demarty takes a look at the right’s latest moans - and notes SPEW’s continued refusal to join the battle on the side of the Labour left
Now let’s crush the Blairites
There is a greater opportunity than ever to break the grip of the right, argues Paul Demarty
May is not irreplaceable
More is needed than a removal van outside Number 10, argues Paul Demarty
Fire in Babylon
This is a disaster that results from decades of misrule, argues Paul Demarty
Bloodied, but not broken
Paul Demarty examines the media’s role in May’s humiliation
Bitter taste of victory
Can Ukip recover from its present decline? Paul Demarty thinks not
Scandal fails to take hold
Jeremy Corbyn seems to have survived attacks on his historic links with Irish republicans, but his response was still weak, argues Paul Demarty
Pensioners sidelined by atrocity
The Tory manifesto’s attacks on the elderly is no longer in the headlines - but Paul Demarty wonders why such risks were taken
The roads to Wannacry
How could an amateurish cyber-attack take down the NHS? Paul Demarty dons his black hat
No concessions
The French left must overcome its panic and maintain its opposition to the dysfunctional capitalist establishment, argues Paul Demarty
Total intellectual collapse
Theresa May’s snap election exposes the political bankruptcy of the far left, argues Paul Demarty
Playing dangerous games
Donald Trump’s swaggering brinksmanship is a reminder of the fragility of the global order, argues Paul Demarty
Digging our own hole
The left itself must take some responsibility for the Ken Livingstone debacle, argues Paul Demarty
Diversionary dead end
The Socialist Party’s decision to stand candidates in May is delusional, argues Paul Demarty
Understanding Khalid Masood
We cannot explain atrocities like the Westminster attack through individual psychology, argues Paul Demarty
Trebles all round
George Osborne’s appointment as Evening Standard editor is a textbook illustration of establishment corruption, argues Paul Demarty
Hammond’s self-employed U-turn
The Tories know that they have to preserve the middle classes, argues Paul Demarty
Divisions over unity
Squabbles in the British anti-Trump campaign say much about the forces involved, reckons Paul Demarty - and little of it good
At war with fourth estate
The left needs more weapons in its armoury than street demonstrations, argues Paul Demarty
Deep opposition
Who is out to get Donald Trump? Paul Demarty goes in search of the American deep state
It ain’t necessarily so
Who fears ‘fake news’ - and what is their own relation to the truth? Paul Demarty pulls apart the current hysteria
Will France be next?
As the ruling circles take in the election of a right-populist US president, Paul Demarty looks at the rightwing threat within Europe
Don’t shit where you eat
Theresa May is only one of many people put in an awkward position by Donald Trump’s travel bans, argues Paul Demarty
Yet more retreats
Backpedalling will not save Jeremy Corbyn, argues Paul Demarty
Election season is on
Divisions are multiplying in the cabinet - but it would be foolish to underestimate the strength of Theresa May’s position, argues Paul Demarty
Gestures at top, gestures at bottom
Donald Trump is lurching between conciliation and wild provocations, writes Paul Demarty
An icon, but not a model
Revolutionary, dictator - or both? Paul Demarty remembers Fidel Castro
New era taking shape
Donald Trump’s early cabinet nominations are in line with his conspiratorial rightism. Paul Demarty assesses the reaction
Different next time
Donald Trump’s victory is a blow for the nationalist right - but hardly an irreversible one, argues Paul Demarty
A richly deserved defeat
Trump’s victory is an indictment of shallow American liberalism, and it is time for the left to detach itself from it, argues Paul Demarty
Sow the wind, reap the windbag
Donald Trump is a symptom of the sickness of American politics - but the likes of Hillary Clinton are the cause, argues Paul Demarty
Criticise, don’t boycott
Some on the left still want to boycott the Socialist Workers Party - and they are still wrong, argues Paul Demarty
Opening shots of next election
Paul Demarty looks at Theresa May’s conversion to red Toryism
Snapping the olive branch
With Corbyn about to be re-elected as Labour leader, Paul Demarty despairs at talk of peace offerings
Media: old and new
What is the impact of technology on the mass media? How can the left overcome its marginality in the public discourse? Should we trust Google searches? Paul Demarty addressed the past, present and future of the media at this year’s Communist University
For the love of god, go
Ed Balls urges the right not to split - but Paul Demarty wonders if they have a choice
Pseudo-secularism on the beach
The petty cruelty of the French burqini bans stems from an elite looking for scapegoats, writes Paul Demarty
Voting for the right lizard
Who’s afraid of president Trump? Not Paul Demarty
State department socialists
In the wake of the Chilcot inquiry, Paul Demarty remembers that it was not merely the Blairites who put faith in the benevolence of American power
Fear, confusion and delusions
Left responses to the referendum result vary from despondency to total exuberance. Both are misplaced, argues Paul Demarty
Abuse of a corpse
We should not be blind to the corruption at the heart of bourgeois politics, argues Paul Demarty
Corbyn and the media trap
Labour should stop basing its strategy on appealing to the media - it will fail, argues Paul Demarty
A threat laid low
Once considered a dangerous radical and traitor, Muhammad Ali died an establishment hero. Paul Demarty wonders what this says about our era
Stop treating people like idiots
Paul Demarty surveys the latest output of ‘Project Fear’ - so you don’t have to
Life in the bubble
Paul Demarty argues that the growing culture of brittle denunciations only hurts the left
Collective amnesia
The job of the left is to learn from past errors, not succumb to fanboyism, argues Paul Demarty
Fixer turns chancer
Sadiq Khan has wasted no time positioning himself for the Labour leadership, notes Paul Demarty
A shameful retreat
It is time the Labour leadership realise that no amount of grovelling will spare them nightmares like the ‘anti-Semitism’ smear scandal, argues Paul Demarty
Rising to the heights and beyond
What is art and can it survive? Paul Demarty investigates
Openness is a weapon
The Weekly Worker’s commitment to open reporting on the affairs of the labour movement is not a fetish, but a political necessity, argues Paul Demarty
Drawing lines of distinction
We need to look beyond 2020, urges Paul Demarty
A bureaucrat’s tool
Imogen Wilson’s predicament is a timely reminder that ‘safe spaces’ policies are anti-democratic and a gift to the right, argues Paul Demarty
In disarray and retreat
The budget fiasco is a perfect illustration of the contradictions at the heart of the modern Tory Party, argues Paul Demarty
Left wing of Zionism
Recent smears of ‘anti-Semitism’ against the left are an echo of similar allegations emanating from within the left, argues Paul Demarty
A carnival of reaction
Neither side in the EU referendum campaign deserves leftwing support, argues Paul Demarty
Cameron’s chauvinist chicanery
The forthcoming EU referendum is a contest between reactionary forces, argues Paul Demarty
Missiles and meetings
Paul Demarty asks if the Labour left can press home its advantage
And the band played on
As Chinese woes once again spread throughout the world economy, Paul Demarty wonders what could shake the complacency of the bourgeoisie
Confront, intimidate, deselect
The 66 rebel Labour MPs are traitors. Do not be fooled by their crocodile tears, warns Paul Demarty
Bringing the bullies low
The curious tale of Elliott Johnson tells us something about capitalist society, argues Paul Demarty
A missed opportunity
Left unity continues to dodge the issue of its constitution, writes Paul Demarty
Choosing between two cultures
Paul Demarty says we have the opportunity to organise in a radically democratic fashion
Nice guys finish last
Battle lines are being drawn in the Labour Party, writes Paul Demarty
Don’t panic
It has been a bad week for the left in the Labour Party, says Paul Demarty. But the right will fight
Action requires organisation
Counterposing activism to Labour Party work is a mug’s game, argues Paul Demarty
Pitfalls of Corbynomics
While the right is aghast at Jeremy Corbyn’s economic plans, Paul Demarty wonders just how radical they really are
Signs of desperation
The largest organisations of the far left still cannot get their heads around the Corbyn campaign, laments Paul Demarty
Solidarity, not sectionalism
Paul Demarty looks at the chauvinist backlash against the Calais migrants
No escaping sordid history
The queen’s Nazi salute exposes the British establishment’s modern myths, writes Paul Demarty
Everything to play for
Jeremy Corbyn is looking more and more like a winner in the leadership race - much to the anger of the right. Paul Demarty reports
More impotent fearmongering
Ten years after the July 7 bombings, our rulers have learned nothing, writes Paul Demarty
Stop digging, Peter
How has SPEW responded to Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership bid? Incompetently, Paul Demarty discovers
A night in the uncanny valley
Harley Filben finds the first Labour leadership debate disturbing and encouraging in equal measure
Fight for a political alternative
The June 20 national demonstration should be seen as an opportunity to build something more permanent, argues Paul Demarty
Legalise the lot
The Tories think it is a good idea to put a blanket ban on legal highs. Paul Demarty wants some of what they’re smoking
Their corruption and ours
Paul Demarty is shocked - shocked! - to discover financial impropriety at the top of world football
The Goldsmiths ideology
The rightwing press campaign against Bahar Mustafa puts the parlous state of student politics under the spotlight, writes Paul Demarty
A wasteful dead-end
Left Unity should not agree to stand under the Tusc banner, argues Paul Demarty
Aspiring to what?
Blairites are flying the flag for ‘aspiration’ - a subject about which they know nothing, argues Paul Demarty
Court protects Labour corruption
After Lutfur Rahman’s removal as Tower Hamlets mayor, Paul Demarty calls for authentic local democracy
A simulacrum of Thatcherism
Paul Demarty is unimpressed by David Cameron’s housing policy, and calls for serious thinking on the left
Swept along by the moment
In the name of cuddling up to the Greens, Socialist Resistance warns about the dangers of the ‘ultra-left’. Paul Demarty objects
Headlong into a trap
After Socialist Resistance’s bungled intervention into transgender politics, Paul Demarty calls for serious debate - not trolling and trigger warnings
Secrets and lies
The left supports freedom of information and condemns trials where the public are barred. However, what passes for justice in our movement often leaves much to be desired, writes Paul Demarty
A tale of two Alexes
The Greek government is slowly retreating in the face of euro zone intransigence. But it may not be enough to stave off ‘Grexit’, argues Paul Demarty - not that that bothers some on the left
A test of seriousness
Paul Demarty examines responses to the seven questions posed by the Communist Platform to Left Unity candidates, and wonders why many are so reluctant to respond in good faith
A tactical embarrassment
Nobody comes out of the leaders’ debates farce in good shape, argues Paul Demarty
Corrupt through and through
Politicians are not the only people in power looking to make a quick buck, reckons Paul Demarty
The new normal
As Denmark becomes the latest staging ground for Islamist atrocities, Paul Demarty asks how the left can confront the growth of religious reaction
No more Herr Nice Guy
Only the presence of strong international solidarity can be the basis for opposing capitalism, writes Paul Demarty
A game of chicken
Who will blink first - Alexis Tsipras or Angela Merkel? Possibly neither, worries Paul Demarty
Honeymoon or hangover?
Initial euphoria on the left at the electoral victory of Syriza has given way to mixed feelings, notes Paul Demarty - but little sign of rethinking
Technology and terror
State antsiness about the ‘dark web’ reveals profound contradictions, argues Paul Demarty
Qui est Charlie?
Paul Demarty asks, who exactly is Charlie?
An abuse of power
Whatever the truth of allegations against Andrew Windsor, the Jeffrey Epstein case paints a grim picture of the top of society, reckons Paul Demarty
Reabsorbing solidarity
The 1914 Christmas truce has been thoroughly sanitised by the establishment, argues Paul Demarty
A people’s history of heckling
Attempts to ban heckling are designed to disempower the weak, argues Paul Demarty
Non-historic people
The Radical Independence Campaign wants to hold the SNP to account. Who are they kidding? asks Paul Demarty
Abstention and organisation
The Communist Platform abstained on many motions put to conference. Paul Demarty explains why
Left Unity: Funny goings-on
Some members of Left Unity are too quick to throw in the towel, reckons Paul Demarty
A pseudo-democratic caricature
The problem is not the House of Lords’ London bias, or even its unelected character: there should be no second chamber, argues Paul Demarty
Cometh the Brand?
Russell Brand’s anarchistic leftism is sincere enough, but his unlikely importance speaks volumes about the left’s weakness, says Paul Demarty
A dangerous game
David Cameron’s appeasement of the Eurosceptic right could backfire dramatically, warns Paul Demarty
UKIP: Something to smile about
Last week’s by-elections have proved once and for all that Nigel Farage and his party are a force to be reckoned with, notes Paul Demarty
Holes in the balance sheet
As the general election approaches, Paul Demarty wonders what happened to the left’s ebullient predictions four years ago
No clean hands
Some are gunning for principal speaker Bianca Todd. Paul Demarty wonders what exactly they hope to achieve
Proceeds of crime
The referendum exposed the economism of what still passes for the left, argues Paul Demarty
How justice works
Deep pockets, global fame and the lack of jury trials are prone to produce outrageous results, argues Paul Demarty
Sex, drugs and R&D
There are lies, damned lies, and headline economic statistics, writes Paul Demarty
Rotherham: A systemic failure
The Rotherham sexual abuse scandal reveals profound weaknesses in bourgeois society’s treatment of vulnerable people, writes Paul Demarty
Morning Star: Nothing to see here
A journalist’s angry resignation has been followed immediately by the departure of its editor and company secretary. Paul Demarty doesn’t believe in coincidences
Only an Arab revolution can liberate Palestine
Neither a one-state nor a two-state ‘solution’ can be achieved under the current balance of forces, writes Paul Demarty
Lack of style over substance
Miliband’s plea for less superficiality in politics is, itself, a superficial publicity stunt - and, reckons Paul Demarty, a stupid one at that
Cameron shuffles to the right
The Tory reshuffle sees David Cameron shoring up his right flank in the run-up to the 2015 general election, writes Paul Demarty
Socialism and bear-baiting
Socialist Worker’s gloating over Horatio Chapple’s death is crass and cruel, writes Paul Demarty. But it is also a product of political weaknesses
Treating people like toy soldiers results in frivolous politics
Alex Callinicos is trying to talk about strategy and patience, but his tongue is tied by his organisation’s disastrous errors, argues Paul Demarty
Confidentiality is a bosses’ tool
Left Unity should not deal with internal disputes through setting up secret trials, argues Paul Demarty
Left Unity: A matter of political health
Unity requires freedom to criticise, argues Paul Demarty
The Peter principle
It is past time for SPEW members to start questioning the strategic acumen of their leadership, argues Paul Demarty
May 22: Reaction on the march
Good results for Ukip, and a lukewarm reception for Labour - Paul Demarty argues that the election results exemplify society’s rightward drift
Ukraine: Economistic wishful thinking
There is far more at stake than wages, says Paul Demarty
Left Unity: Keeping disagreements hidden
Left Unity’s press release about Gerry Adams illustrates the fragility of its political method, argues Paul Demarty
Left unity: Playing happy families
The protracted regroupment talks between Socialist Resistance, the International Socialist Network and others continue; as does their political confusion, writes Paul Demarty
Birmingham schools panic: Horses for courses
The Birmingham school panic is an ironic product of post-Thatcher Britain, writes Paul Demarty
Circling the drain
The Co-op faces demutualisation by a thousand cuts, argues Paul Demarty
Rightwing press rocks the boat
Maria Miller and Nick Clegg suffer for the benefit of reactionary media moguls, writes Paul Demarty
Gay marriage: The road from the margins
The legalisation of gay marriage is a victory for sexual freedom - but, in this society, a fragile one, argues Paul Demarty
The internet in the epoch of decline
Extravagant revolutionary claims are made for new digital media and the technological avant-garde. The truth, argues Paul Demarty, is more complicated
Tony Benn: The moderate extremist
Paul Demarty examines the legacy of a tireless champion of the Labour left
Harriet Harman: More manufactured hysteria
As the Daily Mail smears Labour MPs for links to paedophiles - Paul Demarty wonders whether it doth protest too much
CWI: A bureaucratic farce
The anti-Keynesian dissident, Bruce Wallace, has been suspended, reports Paul Demarty
Labour: Another Blairite collaborator
Paul Demarty wonders why Sally Morgan of Ofsted was allowed to collaborate with Gove in the first place
ISNetwork: Bondage and bigotry
The International Socialist Network has split - over a work of art. Paul Demarty is bemused
Divisive incorporation
Paul Demarty on the latest attempts by politicians to assert that 'We're all middle class now'
Immigration: Chauvinist demagoguery
Paul Demarty looks at the poisonous bilge of our native reactionaries
Nick Griffin: A rat on a sinking ship
The collapsing British National Party is the victim of its own contradictions, not anti-fascism, writes Paul Demarty
Left Unity: Establishing freedom to criticise
Paul Demarty looks at the constitutional fallout for Left Unity post-conference
Labour and political scabbing
Defending the union link as it is falls short of the needs of the working class, argues Paul Demarty
Tories: Unite in the crosshairs
The rights crusade against Britains biggest union continues, reports Paul Demarty
Phone hacking: Establishment still in dock
The problem is not irresponsible gutter journalism, argues Paul Demarty
AWL: Siege mentality
Conference is where political differences should be debated out. Paul Demarty reports on an exception
Left culture: Nutters like us
Till the left starts to make headway, get used to being viewed as mad, writes Paul Demarty
The ballad of Tommy Robinson
The left is in the habit of not thinking, notes Paul Demarty. Nowhere more so than when it comes to the far right
Daily Mail: Fear of everything
After its latest brush with notoriety, Paul Demarty examines the Daily Mail
Left culture: Politics for dummies
Paul Demarty asks why so many on the left are afraid of talking politics
Safe spaces: Conway-Hudson school of censorship
Paul Demarty defends the idea of free speech on the left
Socialist Platform: Politics of prejudice
The fear of political groups and impatience with political meetings on display at the Socialist Platforms first national meeting are deeply linked - and politically pernicious, argues Paul Demarty
Left Unity: Playing it safe
Everyone involved in producing Left Unitys proposed safe space policy should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves, argues Paul Demarty
Syria: War bid hits buffers
The UK will not be taking part in any punishment strikes on Syria for now, but the threat of imperialist intervention remains, writes Paul Demarty
China: Populism and plutocracy
The trial of Bo Xilai reveals contradictions at the top of Chinese society, argues Paul Demarty
Manning conviction: A sick parody of justice
The conviction of Bradley Manning shows the need to abolish state secrecy, argues Paul Demarty
God of the gaps
Justin Welby is a hypocrite, but his credit union plans are a symptom of the decline of the workers movement, argues Paul Demarty
SWP: Opposition flexes its muscles
The leadership got its disciplinary vote, writes Paul Demarty. But then it pathetically backed down
Socialist Party/CWI: Rudeness and revolution
The Committee for a Workers International should not insist on micro-managing debates, argues Paul Demarty
EDL: Oxygen of stupidity
Socialist Worker complains that the BBC is giving the English Defence League publicity - a bit rich, reckons Paul Demarty
AWL school: Missing the point
Paul Demarty shares some brief thoughts on a session dedicated to debating the IS/SWP and its history
Militarisation of cyberspace gathers speed
Tensions between China and the US over cyber-security are a reminder of the hidden dangers of the information age, writes Paul Demarty
Far right on the march
The chauvinist atmosphere in the wake of the Lee Rigby murder has thrown the British far right into the spotlight. Paul Demarty assesses the balance of forces
Woolwich: A pretext for state repression
The murder of a soldier highlights the irrationality of bourgeois politics - but also the failure of the left, argues Paul Demarty
Tories: Return of the repressed
For the first time, this coalition government looks structurally unsound - but its collapse would shift politics to the right, argues Paul Demarty
AWL: Pull the other one
In response to Left Unity, the Alliance for Workers Liberty has sent a counter-proposal to most of the far-left organisations. Paul Demarty replies
Ukip success: Not just a protest vote
Ukips success at the county council elections reflects its voters prejudices, but also long-term alienation from official bourgeois politics, argues Paul Demarty
SWP no-platformed: Self-inflicted injury
The annual Marxism festival is running short of big names - but the SWP has encouraged the culture of boycotting problematic people, argues Paul Demarty
Gender quotas: The two souls of tokenism
The gender imbalance in left groups cannot be cured by bureaucratic means, argues Paul Demarty
Feminism: The world of women, like the world of men, is divided
Paul Demarty calls for the unity of men and women in the fight for the self-liberation of the working class
Leveson and media: Long live the free press
It is possible that the new press regulations will be dead on arrival - and just as well, writes Paul Demarty
SWP and no platform: Meanwhile, in the real world ...
The intensifying feminist offensive against the far left is the bitter fruit of our collective political mistakes, argues Paul Demarty
SWP and feminism: Rape is not the problem
Red-baiting and feminist attacks on the SWP must be resisted, in spite of everything, argues Paul Demarty
SWP special conference: Divided they fall
The Socialist Workers Party leadership is attempting to divide the opposition. Taking the bait would be suicide, reckons Paul Demarty
SWP crisis: Silence of the lambs
The softly, softly approach of the Socialist Workers Party opposition contrasts with the leaderships aggression, argues Paul Demarty
SWP crisis: Lynch mobs and lèse-majesté
The Socialist Workers Party leadership is fighting a dirty war. Unfortunately, writes Paul Demarty, nobody seems to have told the opposition
SWP crisis: Twilight of the idols
The central committee has once again failed to reassert control. But dirty tricks are inevitable, writes Paul Demarty
Left press and the SWP: The dog that didn’t bark
The silence of significant sections of the left on the Socialist Workers Party crisis is a symptom of sectarianism, argues Paul Demarty
SWP crisis: Professor Callinicos and the dark side
Finally a member of the SWP central committee attempts to defend its conduct. Paul Demarty wishes he hadnt bothered
SWP opposition: Seymour in Greece
He may have been propelled to the vanguard of the SWP opposition - but it is not immediately clear what Richard Seymours politics actually are. Paul Demarty looks for clues
SWP crisis: Opposition emboldened as demand for recall grows
The leadership can no longer lead - but a positive outcome to the crisis requires more than the removal of the entire CC, argues Paul Demarty
SWP conference: Comrades in the SWP, rebel!
The central committee was delivered a body blow at this weekends conference - but for dissidents the fight must go on, argues Paul Demarty
Gay marriage: Compromising with bigots
The marriage equality law is now a shambles - because David Camerons government is hostage to incorrigible reactionaries, argues Paul Demarty
Starbucks tax: A system built for playing
The Starbucks tax fiasco tells us much more about Britain than greedy corporations, reckons Paul Demarty
Leveson report: The dog that didn’t bark
The recommendations of the Leveson report are worse than the status quo, argues Paul Demarty - but not by much
Women Bishops & CofE: Irrelevant? If only
The Church of Englands failure to accept women bishops is embarrassing, but solutions short of disestablishment are absurd, argues Paul Demarty
BBC crisis: Child abuse and desperate diversions
Sections of the bourgeois press are attempting to conceal their own crisis by hammering the BBC, writes Paul Demarty
Obama election: Return of a rational reactionary
The absence of a viable working class alternative means American voters are treated as fools, argues Paul Demarty
Tories: Revenge of the nasty party
David Cameron once liked to pose as a compassionate Conservative, writes Paul Demarty. But no longer
Scotland: Independence from what?
The Scottish National Partys support for Nato confirms Alex Salmond as a canny bourgeois politician, argues Paul Demarty
Jimmy Savile: Establishment’s dirty little secret
The establishment furore over the Jimmy Savile scandal has more to it than is being let on, reports Paul Demarty
NUS: Unreason all the way down
The National Union of Students no-platforms George Galloway, Galloway sues the NUS, the left talks nonsense throughout and Paul Demarty wonders what the hell is going on
One nation: Labour turns blue
Ed Miliband invoked the legacy of Benjamin Disraeli in order to embrace the agenda of Blue Labour, argues Paul Demarty
Remorse and retrenchment
The big story from the Liberal Democrat conference is Nick Cleggs apology for raising student fees - but his party is as wedded to the Tories as ever, argues Paul Demarty
Handling the truth
Establishment mea culpas over Hillsborough have shocked many - but there are more skeletons in the closet, writes Paul Demarty
Pushing the button
The Julian Assange furore is about war, not sex, argues Paul Demarty
A textbook paranoid narcissist
As Julian Assange divides a confused left, Paul DeMarty seeks clarity
Honour among thieves
Recent frictions in the Tory-Lib Dem coalition are an object lesson in the cynicism of bourgeois politics, argues Paul Demarty
Where’s the action?
The Tory-Lib Dem government has not produced a spike in industrial action, notes Paul Demarty. So what should be made of the lefts strike fetishism?
Where is the left?
As Syria descends into bloody chaos, confusion lingers on, writes Paul Demarty
Another American tragedy
Paul Demarty takes a look at the confused issue of arms in the USA
Olympics and the perversion of sport
Are the Olympics the high point of a sporting religion? Harley Filben investigates
The appeal of Syriza
The left continues to squabble over the merits of the Coalition of the Radical Left in Greece - but, argues Paul Demarty, both sides miss the point
Diamond in the rough
The latest scandal to hit the banking sector could become truly explosive, writes Paul Demarty
The school as straitjacket
Michael Gove's plans to ditch GCSE exams are socially regressive - but, writes Paul Demarty, so is the obsession with examinations itself
Taking up extreme opposition
The victory of the troika's patsies in the Greek elections should be met with determined class resistance - across Europe, argues Paul Demarty
Be careful what you wish for
As the next Greek elections loom, Paul Demarty takes a look at the lines being taken by the left and the current controversy in the SWP
None of the above
Calling on Egyptians to vote for the Muslim Brotherhood is insane, argues Paul Demarty
How to learn nothing
The emergence of a programme from the Occupy movement has caused a flurry of debate on the ACI website, Paul Demarty decides to join in
Syriza in the spotlight
For a long time it was almost unknown outside Greece - but now the world's eyes are on Syriza. Paul Demarty examines the new thorn in the troika's side
The abuse of abuse
It is the social decay caused by capitalism, not race, that leads to acts of horror, says Paul Demarty.
Round one to Miliband
Labour is obviously pleased with the outcome of last week's local elections - but the government is not as weak as it looks, writes Paul Demarty
Murdoch bites back
The News International owner has his moment of revenge on David Cameron writes Paul Demarty - but the establishment is the real victim
Crisis and creeping despair
From the killing spree by a lucid yet paranoid Anders Breivik to the increase in private and public suicides in austerity Europe Paul Demarty asks, what is capitalism doing to our minds?
Charities up in alms
George Osborne's tax changes have been criticised for threatening charity in this country - if only, laments Paul Demarty
The creep of the secret state
Paul Demarty takes a look at the latest moves towards greater state monitoring of electronic communication
Racism as thoughtcrime
In the light of the jailing of Liam Stacey for making racist comments on twitter about footballer and recent heart attack victim Fabrice Muamba , Paul Demarty takes a look at official ant-racism and the attitude of Marxists.
The long view
Communists must be patient, writes Paul Demarty, avoiding the twins of opportunism and adventurism
Fur flies over Lenin
What has the debate over 1912 got to do with current communist practice? James Turley answers the philistines
Occupational hazards
As the St Paul's protest camp continues its transformation into a respectable pressure group with mainstream support, James Turley draws a few lessons
Silencing voices
Workers Power is again embroiled in internal disputes. James Turley asks why it insists on hiding its internal differences
Syria: In imperialist sights
With Syria in the sights of the imperialists and the bourgeois media, James Turley wonders where the Left and anti-war movement is.
Murdoch fights back
Despite the imminent launch of a sunday edition of The Sun the relationship between the press and the politicians will not quite be the same, says James Turley
Free Abu-Qatada
The rights and freedoms of Abu Qatada must be protected, no matter how politcally odious he personally may be, says James Turley.
Better dead than Fred
The recent bout of hand-wringing over bankers' bonuses conforms to the general pattern of bourgeois hypocrisy, argues James Turley
Taking the Chinese road
This week, Dilma Rousseff, the president of Brazil, makes her first state visit to Cuba. James Turley sees another step from Stalinism to capitalism.
Science and the square wheel
James Turley is not impressed by the resurfacing of 'male aggression' myths
Climax of tartan nationalism
The Scottish independence referendum is a choice between Westminster and Berlin, argues James Turley - yet the left offers no alternative to nationalist illusions
A load of old balls
Racism persists in society - but, as recent scandals show, serious analysis has been replaced by moral hysteria, argues James Turley
The other worlds of sci-fi and fantasy
How do science-fiction and fantasy help us understand reality? James Turley investigates
Cameron in the court of King James
The prime minister's speech on the King James Bible ticks every reactionary box going, argues James Turley
Europe and the delusions of leftwing nationalism
David Cameron's veto is a dangerous blunder, argues James Turley - so why does the left reproduce Tory stupidity on the EU?
Islamist election successes have lessons for left
Socialists need to play the long game, argues James Turley
Nothing to contribute
The Durban conference on climate change is likely to be even more useless than its predecessors - James Turley argues it is time to serve notice on capital's stewardship of the environment
Democracy against capitalism
The ascension of self-styled technocrats to political power is the latest proof that capitalism is antithetical to democracy, argues James Turley
Carrot and stick
Francis Maude's idiotic '15-minute strike' suggestion reveals a disquiet at the heart of the government, argues James Turley
Patriotism and pyromania
Police action against 'poppy-burners' reveals the murky chauvinist undercurrent to Remembrance Day, argues James Turley
Waking the dead
A Tory MEP has attracted derision for his loopy beliefs in the paranormal - but he is merely the tip of an iceberg of absurd mumbo-jumbo, argues James Turley
An inconvenient execution
The death of Gaddafi will not bring freedom to Libya, argues James Turley
A global act of refusal
The Occupy movement has energised politics, writes James Turley. But we must face up to the limits of spontaneity
Guarding the chicken coop
James Turley looks at the unfolding Liam Fox scandal
Cuts and cat-fights
The Conservative Party's annual conference produced a lot of empty rhetoric, a few concessions for the right and one clanger from the front benches, writes James Turley - but no surprises
Shoot the messenger
Bourgeois political power is not as unassailable as they would like us to think. Our rulers can be relied upon, periodically, to split. James Turley looks at the botched attempt of the Metropolitan Police to use the Official Secrets Act
Double standards
James Turley examines the atrocities in Basra
Ten years of blood and fire
The anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks coincides with a resurgence in 'liberal interventionism'. James Turley evaluates the bloody harvest of both
Fall of desperate regime
Anti-imperialism does not equal pro-Gaddafi, argues James Turley
Labour debate: repackaging of a tenuous argument
James Turley responds to Chris Strafford
A regulator with teeth: are you crazy?
There is no ahistorical code of 'press ethics' which can come out of this farrago, writes James Turley
Politics of press freedom
Rather than relying on bureaucratic solutions, argues James Turley, the left needs a dynamic approach to the media
Death in Wapping
The News of the World scandal has revealed the true relationship between the media and politicians, writes James Turley
Scotland: Independence fight looms
Scotland is not an oppressed nation, declares James Turley
Real attempt to learn the lessons
The 'Towards a New International Tendency' statement marks a step forward, notes James Turley
Nato paralysis and US decline
No candidate to replace the USA exists or looks likely to arise, writes James Turley
The Red Mist descends
James Turley introduces a new cultural website
Real democracy needs organisation
Collective discipline is absolutely fundamental to majoritarian politics, writes James Turley
Faith, flag, family, socialism?
'Blue Labour' is the latest fad to enrapture the leadership of the Labour Party. James Turley probes into its appeal for 'Red' Ed
Democracy against 'privacy'
The wooden spoon goes to the Alliance for Workers' Liberty, writes James Turley
Hacks versus celebrities
James Turley argues that a whole cultural-ideological system needs to be overcome
Who's afraid of George Galloway?
The open letter urging no vote for the Coalition Against Cuts list was understandable, but badly wrong, writes James Turley
Fighting Stalinism politically
James Turley responds to Paul B Smith
The fall of the Murdoch empire?
As the News of the World phone-hacking scandal grows, the corruption underlying the bourgeois state becomes ever more obvious, argues James Turley
Intervention, not incoherent abstention
James Turley replies to critics of the CPGB's project to transform the Labour Party
No united front with Gaddafi
Those who are waiting for a 'pure' opposition will wait forever, writes James Turley
Arm the movement with Marxist politics
James Turley reports on a good day in the fight to build resistance to the coalition's austerity
You are useful idiots
The imperialist assault on Libya has rallied many on the liberal and socialist left in its defence. James Turley argues that this makes an anti-imperialist perspective even more urgently necessary
No more Fukushimas
Technology is not socially neutral, declares James Turley
Cracks in state apparatus
We have to face the full social role of the police squarely, writes James Turley
Another nail in the coffin
Political oblivion looms large, writes James Turley
No champions of democracy
David Cameron's gun-toting trade tour is a much-needed reminder of imperialism's real interest in the Middle East, writes James Turley
Despised by the Tory right
James Turley says that Kenneth Clarke is telling his party exactly what it does not want to hear
Renewing solidarity
James Turley reports on the annual conference of Hands Off the People of Iran
Divisive dead-end
Should the left 'defend multiculturalism'? James Turley looks at the reactions to David Cameron's weekend speech
Ruling sexism offside
James Turley argues that those wishing to rid the world of the sexist idiocy of Andy Gray and Richard Keyes must set their sights higher
The pull to the left
Ed Ball's promotion to shadow chancellor gives Labour the Keynesian option, argues James Turley
Masses in revolt
The people have succeeded in sending one dictatorial president packing. But the old regime remains intact. James Turley argues for a pan-Arab revolution led by the working class
Extended rally gives leadership free rein
The central committee brushed differences under the carpet at the Socialist Workers Party annual conference. James Turley reports
Against the politics of purity
There is certainly no way around Labourism, argues James Turley
The fear of unity
Eager for ammunition, the SWP has delighted in the NSSN's looming split. James Turley reports
The second death of Liberal England
The weakness of the Liberal Democrats benefits the Tories more than the workers' movement, argues James Turley
Police kettle student protestors yet again
James Turley discusses the critical problem of organisation in the student movement
Harness the anger: the anti-cuts movement we need
James Turley looks ahead to the Coalition of Resistance conference and warns against the lack of democracy and a clear programme
After Millbank: the way forward
Communists have no truck with cowardly and hypocritical condemnations, writes James Turley
The two souls of socialism
Trade union politics was the main dish at Socialism 2010, the Socialist Party's annual school. James Turley reports
The lying game
Yes, Phil Woolas lied through his teeth - but they all do, including the Liberal Democrats. Eddie Ford looks at the Oldham East ruling
Snub to Labour machine
Lutfur Rahman has garnered support from some sections of the left, writes James Turley
No united front here
Unfortunately for Clegg, Osborne has not managed to get away with it, argues James Turley
Osborne the butcher
Cuts campaigns should move towards unity, says James Turley
The history boys
We need to go beyond liberal criticisms of Tory and neo-Liberal views of history, writes James Turley
Divided we stand
We have better solutions, asserts James Turley
The band played on
Lib Dems are underwriting a government of crisis, writes James Turley
Slow death of Cuban 'socialism'
The capitalist road is the only one open to an isolated Cuba, writes James Turley
Strike back against the empire
Place newspapers in the hands of journalists and printworkers, demands James Turley
Trouble in the fourth estate
Murdoch, Coulson, et al are being handled with kid gloves, writes James Turley
Not so green shoots
Capitalism will survive until it is consciously overthrown, writes James Turley
Expel the collaborators
James Turley questions the nature of Labour as an organisation
Open the books - end state secrecy
Wikileaks tip of iceberg, writes James Turley
Coalition threatens Lib Dems with oblivion
The 'Brokeback' speech by David Davis casts light on the possible demise of the Liberal Democrats in the 2015 general election, argues James Turley
Old cuts, new packaging
James Turley exposes Cameron's 'Big Society' lie
Keep off our turf
James Turley critiques the SWP's proprietorial culture
Seeking out a path to the right
Marxism 2010 provided, among the usual array of celebrity guest speakers in the 101 sessions, a chance to gauge the current state of Socialist Workers Party politics, writes James Turley
Pension con job
Working life should end in material comfort, demands James Turley
Reclaim the game
A festival of sporting genius, or an incitement to chauvinism? James Turley looks at the contradictions of the football extravaganza
Prostitution: decriminalise, not prohibit, not legalise
Amidst talk of a 'new Yorkshire Ripper' James Turley calls for a principled approach to sex work
Diane Abbott splits left
Communists want to see the Labour Party completely transformed, writes James Turley
The new bullshit
David Cameron's 'new politics' are a degraded version of the old, argues James Turley
Europe and the Greek contagion
The crisis in Greece is bound up with the global capitalist downturn. Instead of a nationalist response there could be an international fightback, writes James Turley
The right to be offensive
Creeping censorship must be opposed - even if feelings get hurt, argues James Turley
It was right to put safety above profits
James Turley argues that there is more to the Eyjafjallajökull volcano than disruption to tourists
A taxing dilemma
The dispute over taxation shows the bourgeois establishment's poverty of ideas, argues James Turley
Vote for Labour anti-cuts, anti-war candidates
Prepare for a political fightback, writes James Turley
Darling promises to be the kinder butcher
With Tory confusion on the economy, the general election looks to be very close, writes James Turley
International fightback, not 'race to the bottom'
Elementary workplace struggles demand to be generalised, writes James Turley
Rehabilitation not revenge
James Turley takes on the reactionaries whipping up hysteria over the age of criminal responsibility
The politics of bribery
The Tories are showing themselves up as the party of corruption, says James Turley
Resistance must not be isolated
Withdrawal calls reveal lack of strategy, writes James Turley
Storms and teacups
Both the media and bourgeois politicians want us to concentrate on personal strengths and weaknesses. But that is not the main issue, argues James Turley
Establishment impotence fuels climate denial
Capitalism and sustainability do not mix, says James Turley
Oil-slick divisions
International Marxist Tendency has suffered a damaging split. Not a new phenomenon, notes James Turley
Honesty and narcissism
James Turley looks at Tony Blair's performance before the Chilcot enquiry and the futile search for a smoking gun. Britain's alliance with the United States is the real culprit
Obamalaise hits home
James Turley looks at the first year of the Obama presidency
Quake: no act of god
Millions around the world were appalled at the death and devastation in Haiti. James Turley puts the calamity into context
Trouble at the top
More than corruption revealed in Northern Ireland, writes James Turley
Blind, dumb logic of capitalism
James Turley reviews Mark Bould's and China Miéville's new book 'Red planets: Marxism and science fiction' (Pluto, 2009, pp293, £19.99)
Public-spirited marching and the anti-system threat
James Turley looks at the mixed messages from the media about the Copenhagen demonstrations
In another world
Alistair Darling's pre-budget report includes a 'supertax' on bankers' bonuses. James Turley calls for more
Metaphor for neoliberalism
Dubai collapse points to continuing crisis, writes James Turley
Splendid talking shop
James Turley reports on the Historical Materialism conference
Political response needed
James Turley expects a sudden rise in the pitch of industrial struggle after the general election
The fight gets ugly
What does the SWP majority think democracy looks like? asks James Turley
The working class intellectual and the apparat
James Turley offers an appreciation of the life of Chris Harman, 1942-2009
Whatever happened to those green shoots?
Once again, says James Turley, it has not been a good couple of weeks for Alastair Darling and Gordon Brown
Uncanny detective story
James Turley reviews China Miévilles The city and the city London 2009, pp312, £17.99
BNP contradictions
James Turley reviews Nigel Copseys Contemporary British fascism Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, pp264, £19.99
New vision for Europe wanted
James Turley argues that the bourgeoisie is incapable of uniting Europe on any secure basis
Anti-BNP class-collaboration
The lefts spluttering response to Nick Griffins invitation to appear on Question time reveals a floundering political strategy, argues James Turley
Islam and Rushdie
James Turley reviews Kenan Maliks From fatwa to jihad: the Rushdie affair and its legacy Atlantic, 2009, pp266, £16.99
Abstention or intervention
After the victory by the Lindsey wildcat strike, James Turley draws some lessons
'Official anti-racism' cracks again
The accusations of Tarique Ghaffur against the Metropolitan Police have given the lie to the state's 'liberal' PR, argues James Turley
Return to Marx
James Turley reviews Mike Macnair's 'Revolutionary strategy' November publications, 2008, pp204, £7.99
The campus and the state
James Turley argues that students have an antagonistic relationship with college authorities
Multiculturalism and the working class
BBC's White season promotes division, says James Turley
Sunshine Stalinism ends?
James Turley looks at the mixed response of the left and the prospect of a 'Cuban Deng'
Politicising the Olympics?
The renewed furore over China's hosting the 2008 summer Olympics says more about the bourgeoisie than Beijing, argues James Turley
Rowan Williams and SWP lies
In Respect, Chris Bambery lied again and again. Secularism 'justifies' islamophobia, advocating secularism plays into the hands of those 'deliberately stoking up' islamophobia, etc. Yet now his Socialist Worker demands separation of church and state, writes James Turley
Conway scandal silence
They just keep on coming - yet another financial scandal ripples through Westminster. James Turley looks at the facts, the lessons and the embarrassment of the SWP
Hain and working class morality
James Turley calls for accountability of elected representatives
Oxford Union and 'free speech'
The decision by the Oxford Union debating society to give a platform to BNP leader Nick Griffin and holocaust denier David Irving provoked national controversy. James Turley digs through it all and argues for a particular application of the 'no platform' tactic
Socialists for Labourism
With the hostilities in Respect reaching their messy denouement last weekend, it was almost possible to forget the rather less fiery Socialism school of the Socialist Party in England and Wales. James Turley reports
A load of old Balzac
Is there such a thing as a 'Marxist art'? James Turley takes issue with Hillel Ticktin
National fetishes
It is that time of year when almost every public figure wears a plastic poppy, to commemorate the casualties of war. James Turley inquires into the roots and role of this practice
In the footsteps of WRP?
The pro-Iran apologetics at the Stop the War conference brought back unsavoury memories of Gerry Healy's 'Libyan gold'. James Turley examines the history
Plumbers and teachers
James Turley is not surprised that 10 years of Labour rule have not created a "classless society". But does class still matter?
Booze, fags and turkey twizzlers
On October 1, it became illegal for under-18s to buy tobacco. James Turley comments
Sickening apologetics
SWP member Naz Massoumi addressed the session entitled 'Iran - from revolution to rogue state', reports James Turley
SWP "relative autonomy"
James Turley reviews Alex Callinico's Universities in a neoliberal world (Bookmarks, 2006, pp41, ?2)
Controversy and comradeship
Comrades from diverse political backgrounds gathered at the University of Sheffield over the weekend of April 21-22 to discuss revolutionary theory, strategy and practice at the CPGB-organised Communist University North. James Turley and Jamie Linney report
Mountains out of molehills
Leading the Alliance for Workers Liberty's typically slippery response to our coverage of the Socialist Youth Network launch conference reveals an organisation in crisis and rapidly moving to the right, says James Turley
No anti-communist witch-hunts
Members of Communist Students have been banned from a new 'open' socialist youth organisation set up by supporters of the John McDonnell campaign. James Turley and Tina Becker report
No bans on christian fundamentalists
James Turley reports on the bureaucratic attempt to ban Exeter university's christian student society